3/3/11

Why wait for summer to have blueberry pie? And why have boring pie? Let's add something in there this time. What goes with blueberry? Well on a recent research quest to find the perfect croissant on cape cod (and it's hard let me tell you). I had a fairly decent almond croissant and though wow, there should be blueberries in here. That almond, crunchy, sugary paste is so good and a tart blueberry would pair nicely with it. So, I'm sure this has been done before, somewhere....

It's really easy to do, I just used a double crust and filled the two layers of the crust with that wonderful almond paste by King Arthur (or you can make your own or use whatever brand you like). If you do decide to make this, please read recipe instruction beforehand. It's worth the effort...it really is. The subtle flavor of the almond paste is heavenly.

I want to make almond croissants. I just have such a craving for them. My quest to find croissants around here are sad. Therefore I must make my own. Anyone had success with making almond croissants? Would love to hear about it.

Fill with a 1/4 cup or so of fresh almond paste. Then cover with another layer of pie crust. I've used pre-made pie crusts here--they work wonderful! Or you can use homemade pie crust; I've included a link in the recipe.

cook notes: I do not like to make my blueberry pies too sweet in general. I only added in 1/4 cup of sugar. If you like your pies sweet you might want to add more sugar in. Also, with my crust, sometimes I like to tuck the crust under and not out with edges. Feel free to do it how you want. Sometimes I just like to tuck them under to have a neat, round pie--just for fun. You don't have to add a double crust on the top like I did. I'm just a crust-junkie so that's why I did it. But you might like it. If you like your blueberry filling a little more runny and juicy then only add in 1 TB cornstarch.

Crust:
2 - One double crust (so we need 4 layers of pie crust or you could use 3: 2 on bottom and 1 on top. I used 2 on bottom, 2 on top. Do what you want, but we need 2 for bottom in order to fill the pie crusts w/ almond filling).
If you need a good pie crust and want to know what I always use, it's Martha Stewart's recipe. Martha's basic pie dough never fails me. But you use what you like or use pre-made pie crusts. Keep in mind the pre-made one's might cook differently than homemade; just keep an eye on them when baking. In this recipe I used the pre-made pie crusts; they work wonderful!

In a glass combine the pie egg wash and mix/beat very well
In a bowl combine blueberries, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Mix well. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray your 9 inch pie pan with non stick spray. Place a layer of pie crust down. Fill & spread the almond paste. Cover with another layer of crust. Seal up the edges to close. Fill with blueberries. Take your egg wash and brush the edges of the pie. Place top layer of pie and seal all edges. Do it how you like but I like to tuck mine underneath. Feel free to do it however you like, just make sure they are sealed good.
Brush the rim of the crust with the egg wash and the entire pie. Poke a few slits on the top of pie before baking to let steam escape.
Place pie on a sheet lined with parchment paper.
At this point some of you might like to chill your pie. Please go ahead if you want too. I do not like to chill mine. I’ve never ever noticed a difference when I chilled it (unless it's summer or a hot kitchen). But do what works for you when handling pie doughs.
When ready to bake place pie in preheated 425 degree over and bake for about 15 minutes. Then turn heat down to 350 degrees and bake another 30 to 40 minutes. Mine was done at 30 minute mark; please check at the 30 minute mark.
To know when it’s done? Look for browned edges, bubbly insides.
Let cool before serving. Should serve 6-8.

Almonds and blueberries...now that's one I haven't thought of before. I would love to come home to a huge slice of this. Maybe you could drive down and drop one off? And then we can try making croissants together because they are something I have always wanted to tackle!

wait, so there are 3 crusts in that pie? nice. and seriously delicious. love the almond filling you added! i just used the last of my summer blueberries in the crisp i just posted... sad! but delicious :)

You're killing me with that photo. My gawd, a flaky crust on the top AND the bottom, a filling bursting at its seams with fruity goodness, and then a huge blob of fluffy cream on top. I am swooning. ;)

Thank goodness for StumbleUpon, which is how I landed on your site and this recipe. I'm loving the double crust with almond paste between them. I'm loving the double crust on top and I'm loving the tucked under crust. the whole thing is absolutelyfriggenperfect.

It's more like quadruple crust pie! This pie is insane but I bet it was wonderful- it sure looks tasty as I love blueberries. Never thought to pair it wil almond though. Will try that combo though next time.

ooohhhh i soooo love danish pastry and grew up with marzipan. so this is divine! i have a big stash of blueberries and will do a pie up for the holidays to kill everyone's diet hehe! oh, one thing you could add is a bit spirit such as a flavored rum! i did that before, whatever tickles you, i had some parrot bay on hand and it worked for me....

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com